Page 22 - MWC 8-6-20s

The Midwest Cattleman · August 6, 2020 · P22
The Cut & Clarity of Balancer & Gelbvieh & Gelbvieh
The Cut & Clarity of Balancer ® ®

at Martin Cattle Company
at Martin Cattle Company By Brenda Black

from his traveling as a Puri- gest challenge is time. “Ev-
na® sales specialist covering erybody works off the farm,
nearly the whole of Arkansas. so the challenge is to just get
“The first week being home it all done. But fortunately, if
was okay and I thought I somebody's got to go do some-
kind of like this,” Martin said. thing, there's always someone
“Then you get to missing peo- here to take up the slack. The
ple that you are used to seeing greatest blessing in doing this
out on the road.” is being together; being fami-
On the up side, he's seeing ly.”
way more of the family who The road back to the family
each take a role in managing farm and to the Gelbvieh breed
multiple properties and the began after Martin graduated
scattered herds at Martin Cat- from Arkansas State Univer-
tle Company. sity. He went to work as the
The eldest daughter Rebec- farm manager for the college
ca Johnson and her husband and stayed on for three years.
Jason and daughter Madalyn Then he hired on at Porter
In 1936, Judsonian, Ar- cattle have been passed down live the farthest away from Rogers Ranch, a large Santa
kansas native Lonnie Glos- to Boyce's grandson David headquarters – a whopping Gertrudis operation. It was
miles.
during his 10
three
son recorded his self-penned Martin. Martin, along with On that owned years with this
song "Arkansas Hard Luck his wife Rita and their three and adjacent highly respect-
Blues." While this musician daughters and their families rented land, ed Arkansas
was breathing songs in and make up the Martin Cattle they oversee breeder that
out of a harmonica bemoaning Company. cattle daily and Martin gained
his stomping ground, another “Our family has been here his exposure
Judsonian was turning “hard since the 1850's, Martin said. house some of to Gelbvieh
the bulls. Dana
luck” Arkansas into beef cattle “Part of the land we're on is being used in
success in that rocky, shallow over 100 years old. For Fa- Stewart, her the PR com-
husband Josh
top soil of the Diamond State. ther's Day, my family gave me mercial herd.
That same year, Boyce Martin, the present of having our farm and their two By the time
children, Jewel
Sr. switched from commercial filed as an Arkansas Century Martin had
to the registered cattle busi- Farm.” and Henry live made his way
150
basically
ness in those Arkansas hills. The hot summers in Arkan- back to Jud-
Beef genetic gems were dis- sas can burn up in short order yards from sonia, the de-
Mom and Dad.
covered way back then that the Bermuda grass and fescue cision was al-
they
are still being shined and re- pastures on that beloved piece When show- ready made. It
aren't
fined on the home place by the of land. Martin said, “The ing cattle and would be Gelb-
Martin family in 2020. saying goes 'that we're al- goats, they are vieh he would
The registered cattle busi- ways about two weeks from a checking cows. raise.
ness began with Herefords, drought.'” This year, however, Also nearby, “I just liked
but today the passion to raise the pastures have been bless- are youngest daughter Rasha their balanced traits, the
great seedstock has shifted ed with rains -- a bright spot Pate and her husband Jordan, mothering abilities of the cows
to Gelbvieh and Balancer®. in a challenging year when who puts up all of MCC's hay. and that they still had a lot of
The tools for excavating fine Martin has been home bound
They both help with general growth,” Martin said of the
farm duties. breed. “They are docile, gentle
Even if every household and easy to work with. And
juggles off-the-farm careers, hearty cattle that will go out
according to Martin, raising and do a good job.”
cattle is in their blood and With a long history in the
they are all committed to the beef industry and family ties
task. Experience in the Amer- to a much different time, Mar-
ican Junior Gelbvieh Associ- tin thinks his ancestors would
ation taught them a thing or appreciate the Gelbvieh and
two about tenacity. Balancer® herd he's devel-
“They didn't just learn about oped.
the cattle business,” Martin “It's interesting to look back
said of their junior show expe- at some of the old pictures of
rience. “They learned manage- our family's cattle,” Martin
ment and work ethic. That's said. “To be honest, they look a
the real value.” whole lot like cattle today. The
With 150 head of cows to industry went through pendu-
manage, Martin said the big- lum swings in size and phe-